We all have one. A space you’ve decided not to look at because you know it’s a mess and it’s overwhelming like a shed or a garage. Maybe even a junk drawer.

“Just go to the shed” is one of the chapters that really landed for me from Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. We read it last year in my Book Club x Group Coaching group. And the idea is simple.

Now the shed is a metaphor for other things in our lives too that we don’t want to look at.

A relationship that’s not going well.
The job you hate.
Your finances.
…or maybe it’s the dreams you keep putting off.

The longer we avoid the things that make us anxious, the more likely they are to actually turn into a problem. And even if they never do, we still spend all that time being scared of what might be in there.

By avoiding it, it’s just turning into a bigger problem. It’s still there.

His advice isn't to clean it out. It's just going in. Look around. Don't do anything yet. Just observe. Make the space your own. The solutions tend to show up on their own once you've actually seen what you're working with.

For me, my shed was my finances, which as a CPA feels ironic. I had an idea of how we (Dave & I) were doing, but I didn’t want to “look in the shed” because I was scared. However, once you walk in, you see the reality of it…no rose coloured glasses.

And then, only if you want to, can you start to do something about it.
One small step.

What’s a “shed” you’ve been avoiding?
This week, just go in. Don’t try to fix it. Don’t organize it. Just go in…and look. Start by getting an honest look at what's there. 

If you want to go deeper, maybe take one small action while you're there. Put the wrench back in the toolbox. Sweep the dirt off the ground. Give something away. Nothing big.

Want to challenge yourself?
Tell us in the comments what your shed is, or what you noticed once you stepped inside.

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Quick question before I go: what's something you'd like to experiment with? I'm personalizing things a bit around here and your answer will actually shape what lands in your inbox.

With love and gratitude,
Jenn